The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-08-18
Mississippi Farmers College.

My VlSlt uau W uO HaIuIy WILL tulo
institution. 1t is attracting an unusual
amount of attention just now in South
Carolina and other Southern States.
This and all other agricultural colleges
in the South are creations of the general
government, not directly, but indirectly.
The proceeds of certain government
lands were appropriated to the endow-
ment of colleges in the respective States,
in which institutions agriculture should
be mainly taught. 1t has been a serious
question in the minds Of many thought
full persons, whether an institution
devoted to this one interest ofagriculture
could succeed. All the experiments of
union of the literary and the agricul-
tural have proven comparative failures,
and many were ready 10 say that an agri'
cultural school is humbug. 1t was in
the face of such doubts that the college
at Starkville was established. The first
step was 10 separate it entirely from the
State University at Oxford, having q
different faculty, a different board of
trustees and different location. The
college has now been in operation for
seven years. The attendance has
steadily grown, until, for the past two
years, the faculty have been compelled
to reject a large number of applicants,
the reflections amounting last year to
2l5. The patrons of the college are the
farmers of the State. 1t has cost the
State all told about S379,0GO. This COW
ers the cost of the farm, buildings and
the annual appropriations. The farm
consists of 1900 acres When it was
purchased much of it was regarded as
poor land. Now, the entire place is in
excellent condition. We were shown a
field which had been thrown out at the
time of the purchase as worthless. Some
parts of that field will produce this year,
it is thought, fifty bushels of corn to the
acre. This restoration has been without
the use of commercial fertilizers. The
buildings are large, tasteful and substan'
TALLY built of brick. Nearly all the
students board in the college buildings
at cost of $40 per month. The maxi
mum expenditure for each student is put
at 500. This includes everything.
The work of the farm is done by the
students. They are required to work
three hours day. If they work longer
than that they are paid extra for it. In
this way many of the students pay, in
part, their expenses. The President
stated that the actual cost so some of the
young men the past year was not more
than $50, because Of extra labor per.
formed.
The crops grown on the farm are corn,
peas, OTIS and grasses. There is no cot
ton planted, if we remember correctly.
Much attention is paid to the grasses and
dairying. The herd of cattle number
ZIG, most of them Holsteins. The butter
product of so large herd is quite remu'
merative. The creamery of the college
is the first ever built in the Gulf States
and has worked a revolution in dairy
husbandry. There are now, we think,
six creameries in the State of Mississippi,
all Of them the offspring of the Agricul-
tural College.
General S. d. Lee, the President, is
the ruling spirit of the institution-a
fine Christian gentleman. His whole
heart is in his work and he is justly
proud of the success Of the college. So
far as we could judge, and we were care
full to inquire into the workings Of the
college, it is doing just what it proposes
to do-to give thorough and practical
training in agriculture.-Rcu. DR.. G1icr,
IN 4. r. Presbyterian.